Abdomen (perhaps from Latin abdodere = to conceal, to hide; in the sense that whatever was eaten is hidden in the stomach) or belly is a body cavity lying between the chest and pelvis, limited with diaphragm above and continuing into the pelvic cavity below.

Looking from the outside, abdomen extends from the bottom of the breastbone down to the imaginary plane put on the top of the bony pelvis.

Stomach, the term used for abdomen in the English speaking world, is actually only one organ in the abdomen - lying between the esophagus (gullet) and duodenum.

Organs in abdominal cavity are:

  • Stomach
  • Small intestine: duodenum, jejunum, ileum
  • Cecum with appendix
  • Large intestine (colon) with the rectum
  • Liver
  • Gallbladder
  • Pancreas
  • Spleen
  • Kidneys and ureters
  • Adrenal glands
  • Abdominal part of aorta, and vena cava inferior

 

Picture 1. Abdominal organs
(source: Wikimedia)

 

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